Recently, we heard about an intern at NASA who lost his job because he made a mistake on social media.
Max Hunt was 23 years old and had just graduated from college, when he applied for a summer internship with NASA. Unfortunately, his online presence caught the eye of one of the agency’s managers and she decided to check out his social media accounts.
As it turns out, Max had been posting about his love of science fiction and space exploration on Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately, this didn’t exactly match the agency’s vision for their intern – they wanted someone who could focus on promoting their research online.
So, after reviewing Max’s social media accounts, the manager decided to fire him – even though he hadn’t done anything wrong!
Max’s story is a reminder that you need to be careful what you post online if you want to keep your job – even if it’s just an internship!
If you’re thinking about applying for a job or internship and you’re worried about what your social media profiles look like, take a look at our blog post on how to create professional social media profiles!
The intern’s story
NASA intern, Nick Morrell, was let go from his job because he made a mistake on social media. Morrell shared a tweet that said “I’m not a scientist. I’m not qualified to be one. But I am qualified to quit.” This tweet led to him getting fired from his job at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Morrell’s tweet was in response to a tweet from Donald Trump that said “I think the world would be better if we had scientists who were also great diplomats.” Morrell felt that he could do a better job than scientists who were diplomats and decided to share his thoughts on social media. Morrell’s tweet was seen as inappropriate and led to him getting fired from his job at NASA. Morrell is now looking for another job and has apologized for his tweet
The intern’s tweets
NASA intern who lost his job because he didn’t think things through on social media
A recent NASA intern who lost his job because he made some rather unfortunate tweets has shown us all that even the smartest of us sometimes make mistakes.
22-year-old Jack Sharkey, from Connecticut, was recently let go from his position at NASA after he tweeted a satirical take on the space shuttle program. The tweet showed a mocked up picture of the space shuttle with the caption “Can we get #shuttlefail trending please?”
Although the tweet was meant as a lighthearted jab at the program, it wasn’t well received by some of his followers, who saw it as disrespectful. Jack’s manager eventually caught wind of the tweet and came to believe that it was responsible for Jack’s dismissal.
Although this story may seem like a cautionary tale about the dangers of social media, in reality it serves as a reminder that no matter how clever we think our tweets might be, they could still land us in trouble. And even if we don’t have anything incriminating to show for our Twitter antics, they can still cost us our jobs.
The intern’s social media posts
John, the NASA intern who lost his job because he didn’t think things through on social media, was hired as a summer intern in 2016. After posting a controversial tweet about the International Space Station, John was let go from his job with NASA.
In an interview with The Verge, John said he never meant to cause any trouble and that he regrets making the tweet. \”I definitely didn’t mean for my tweet to cause any trouble or get me into any kind of trouble,\” John said. \”I made a mistake and I learned from it.\”
John’s tweet raised some eyebrows due to its political nature. He commented on the tweet saying \”Why is everything revolving around Trump? Why can’t we have good news?\”, which sparked backlash from some people who accused him of being anti-Trump.
John deleted the tweet after getting backlash and filed an apology with NASA. \”I am really sorry for causing all this trouble and I really regret what I said,\” John said in the apology letter.
John has since started a social media campaign called \”#FreeTheIntern\”, which aims to raise awareness about the dangers of social media
The consequences of the intern’s actions
When an intern at NASA decided to take to social media to voice his concerns about his job, he quickly realized the consequences of his actions. The intern, who has not been identified, was fired from his position after posting a series of tweets that criticized the organization and its employees. In one tweet, the intern said that he “didn’t want to work for NASA anymore because it was a waste of time.”
The intern’s tweets quickly caught the attention of journalists, who began to ask the organization about the situation. NASA officials were initially reluctant to discuss the matter, but eventually confirmed that the intern had been fired. Officials did not provide any explanation for why the intern was terminated, but they did say that they value “professionalism and respect” in their employees.
The intern’s termination is a clear example of the dangers of speaking out against your employer online. By posting hostile comments about his work environment on social media, the intern created a situation where he risked losing his job. Had he taken more time to think through his actions before posting, he may have been able to avoid getting fired altogether.
How social media can impact your career
Background: The intern story is one that has been all too common in recent years. Young adults, especially those in their early to mid-20s, are often under the impression that anything they post on social media is public information and can be seen by anyone, regardless of whether they have a legitimate reason to see it. This often leads to them posting things without fully thinking through the ramifications or consequences of their actions. In this particular case, the intern lost his job not because he made any egregious errors while working at NASA, but because he didn’t take the time to properly vet his social media posts before posting them.
While there are certainly times when it’s okay to share personal information on social media (e.g. if you’re talking about a health issue that you’re currently experiencing), there are also a number of occasions when it’s not advisable to do so. For example, if you work for a company that has strict policies about what can and cannot be shared on social media, then it’s probably not the best idea to share pictures from your private dinner party or candid conversation with your boss on Facebook. It’s important to keep in mind that what you say and do online is seen by a lot
Conclusion
As an intern for NASA, 21-year old Shawn Lockwood was looking forward to a bright future ahead of him. However, after posting a tweet about being “disappointed” in the Trump administration, his life took a turn for the worse. Lockwood’s tweets were seen as critical of Trump and as such he lost his job with NASA – something that has had a massive impact on his personal life and career prospects. It is important to remember that whatever you post online can have serious consequences – take your time before posting anything controversial or sensitive, just to be safe.